MOSCOW (AP) — The 50,000-year-old remains of a baby mammoth uncovered by melting permafrost have been unveiled to the public by researchers in Russia’s Siberia region who call it the best-preserved mammoth body ever found.
Nicknamed Yana, the female mammoth weighs more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and is 120 centimeters (47 inches) tall.
Scientists believe that Yana was 1 year old when she died. Her remains are one of seven mammoth carcasses recovered worldwide.
Yana was found among the melting permafrost at the Batagaika crater in the far-eastern Russian area of Yakutia. Known as the “gateway to the underworld,” the crater is 1 kilometer deep and has previously revealed the remains of other ancient animals including bison, horses and dogs.
As permafrost melts, affected by climate change, more and more parts of prehistoric animals are being discovered.
Yana will be studied by scientists at Russia’s North-Eastern Federal University, which has a dedicated mammoth research center and museum.
The university described the find as “exceptional” and said it would give researchers new information about how mammoths lived and adapted to their surroundings.